The works of our ancient, learned, & excellent English poet, Jeffrey Chaucer as they have lately been compar'd with the best manuscripts, and several things added, never before in print : to which is adjoyn'd The story of the siege of Thebes, by John Lidgate ... : together with The life of Chaucer, shewing his countrey, parentage, education, marriage, children, revenues, service, reward, friends, books, death : also a table, wherein the old and obscure words in Chaucer are explained, and such words ... that either are, by nature or derivation, Arabick, Greek, Latine, Italian, French, Dutch, or Saxon, mark'd with particular notes for the better understanding of their original.

How the Wife of Amphiorax, of conscience to save her Oath, discured her Husband.

And soughten so long, ere they might him find, For cause his wife was to him so kind, That so surely hath locked vp his corps, But for she had a manner remors In her selfe, greuing her conscience, Dreding to fall in great offence, Least her soule were in perill lorne, When she by oth compelled was and sworne, They requiring, if she coud tell Where her lord the Bishop should dwell, Which to discure, her heart was full loth, Till time she gan remember on her oth, And coud a trouth of custome not denie, And had also great conscience to lie, Wonder heauy, with a sorrifull face, Maugre her lust, taught hem to the place Where as he was shitte vp in a toure, All alone, hauing no succour, They fell on him, ere that he was ware, And set him vp in a full rich chare. * A foole he was to jeoparde his life, For to discure his counsaile to his wife, And yet she was full sorry for his sake, And specially when she saw him take: * But I hope that her heauinesse Gan tassuage full soone by processe In short time, when that he was gone, * There is no tempest may lest euer in one: But this Bishop by very force and might Vnto Greekes conueyed was full right, This hore grey in his chaire sitting, And they full glad weren of his comming, Hauing a trist and full opinion, Through the cause and occasion Of his wisdome and his sapience, And by vertue of his high prescience, They should eschue all aduersity Possible to fall as in her journy, And as the story fully hath deuised, Full circumspect, and right wele auised, He hath pronounced in the parlement, Tofore the Lords, and the President, His cleare conceit in very sikernesse, Not entriked with no doublenesse, Her dismall dayes, and her fatall houres, Her auentures, and her sharpe shoures, The froward sort, and vnhappy stounds, The complaint of her deadly wounds, The wofull wrath and the contrariosty Of fell Mars, and his cruelty, And how by meane of his grey mood There shall be shed all the worthy blood Of the Greekes, it may not been eschued, If her purpose be execute and sued, There is no more, this shall be the fine, The high noblesse shall draw to decline Of Grekes blood, in mischeefe, sorrow, & wo, And with all this, I my selfe also, As my fate hath before disposed, Deepe in the ground I shall be enclosed And locked vp in the derke vale Of cruell death: lo this was the tale

That the Bishop to Adrastus told, Him counsailing his purpose to withhold, In escheuing of more mischeefe and sorrow, For all his gods he tooke to borrow, If the Thebans and the Greekes meet, The fine thereof shall be so vnsweet, That all Greece after shall it rew, Warning hem, if they the mischeefe knew That shall follow, which no man may lette, They would abstaine a siege for to sette Vnto Thebes, and her purpose leue. With whose words y^• lords gan hem greue, And therein had but full small delite, And euerich of heartely high despite, They abreide, and se••d he was vntrew, And a contreuer of prophecies new, And eke also, for all his long berd, An old dotard, a coward, and aferd, And of rancour gonne to defie Both his calcling and his Astronomie, And shortely said, they took therof none hede, Ne will no thing gouerne hem by his rede. This was the clamour & noise in euery coast Of high and low, throughout all the hoast, And specially of the poore souldiours, And of lordes reigning in her flours, And of the estates effectuelly I mene, Which of age were but tender and grene, That haue not had of Marces influence Of the werre great experience. * Here if ye list ye may consider and see, Of coueiting, great aduersitee, How that youth no perill cast aforne, Till he in mischeefe suddainly be lorne, There as age prouideth euery thing, Ere he begin to casten the ending.